After dispatching then-No. 3 UConn on Friday night, St. John’s moved up five spots to No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. The Red Storm also improved to No. 17 in the latest USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
This is the ninth week St. John’s has appeared in the AP top 25 this season, and their third consecutive week in the rankings. Over the last two seasons, St. John’s has been ranked for 22 weeks, the most in a two-season stretch since the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons, when they were in the top 25 for 23 weeks.
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Both St. John’s and UConn were once again the only two Big East teams ranked in the AP poll. The Huskies dropped three spots to No. 6 following their loss to the Red Storm. Villanova received 17 votes in this week’s poll for the fifth-most among unranked teams.
Friday night’s 81-72 victory over UConn was St. John’s first win over a ranked opponent this season, following three defeats in non-conference play to ranked teams earlier in this campaign (Alabama, Iowa State, and Auburn).
The Red Storm will face the Xavier Musketeers (12-11, 4-8 Big East) on Monday, February 9. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game can be watched on FS1.
